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“We’re so proud of the progress
we’ve made at Community School regarding diversity. Through
concerted efforts, we’ve increased the numbers of diverse students
as well as faculty,” commented Dana Scott Saulsberry, Director of
Admission and Diversity Coordinator at Community School in
Ladue.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Community
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>School “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>’s student and faculty diversity rates have reached all-time highs this school year. Overall, the student body is 21 percent students of color; however, the percentage for new students entering this year is at 29%. The faculty numbers are even more impressive. Five years ago, Community had 2% teachers of color; today, that number stands at 14%.
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In the past
two years alone, Community has hired four teachers of color,
including one African-American, one Jamaican, and two Pacific
Islanders. Candace Glass, recently hired Junior Kindergarten
teacher, commented, “As our population continues to become more
diverse, it is highly important to teach our children from a young
age to recognize our similarities and embrace our differences as a
human race.”
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Matthew
Gould, Head of School, says, “We want parents to understand not
only the importance of diversity, but also inclusivity at the
school.” This year, the parents, Board and faculty are all
participating in training through St. Louis Diversity Awareness
Partnership.
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Gould was one
of the driving forces behind the creation of the Independent
Schools of St. Louis (ISSL) Teacher Hiring Fair to Promote
Diversity. Having been to similar fairs in cities like Atlanta, he
wondered why St. Louis didn’t have one. March 10, 2012 will mark
the 5th Hiring Fair, which has resulted in 21 teachers
of color being hired by local independent schools.
